0:16 Start late, end early (dive straight into action, end after the climax) 1:37 Use the plot engine (how will you make readers keep reading) 1. Hidden Identity 2. Threat of violence 3. Character's lie 3:22 Make scenes multitask (merge scenes) 4:34 Play with time (speed up and slow down the action, skip boring stuff) 5:28 Supercharge your conflict (giving information is boring, add tension, disagreement etc) 7:06 Make your characters change (learning, changing or growth) 8:00 Make sure the scene is essential to plot progression 8:56 Prioritize actions and dialogue over thoughts and backstory 9:44 Three essential questions for every scene What would happen if I cut a scene? What has changed by the end of a scene? How does the scene move the plot forward?
@@CalvinNoire Not necessarily. I like coming back to really informative videos like this one to munch over some points with newly gained knowledge and experience to check how it affects my understanding of the topic. Time marks like these make it super easy to come back to exactly the part I wanted to listen to again, so it increases the likelihood of me coming back to watch the video, not just putting it in the 745th place on my maybe-to-do list. Quick, convenient and efficient. Love them time stamps ❤❤
I recently reread SHOGUN. Every scene is driven by conflict! Some conflicts are subtle, but every scene has some. The effect propels the reader through the book! It is hard to put down.
Allowing some introspection early on can allow your protagonist to feel three dimensional to the reader and free you from having to say everything they are thinking as a result of events in the action as your story naturally gathers pace towards its gripping climax/resolution. You don't want to bog everything down with everyone's thoughts all the way through. Frank Herbert only got away with doing that in his doorstep of a science fiction novel _DUNE_ because his visualisation of a galaxy more than 10,000 years in the future where humanity had become alienated from itself (so there were no need for any aliens) is what made that novel such a success despite all the internal musings all the way throughout.
This was really helpful. Please include more videos on scene structure. These are pretty uncommon online. Most people focus on the overall story rather than this important unit of story. Thanks!
@@stevecarter8810Thank you. Thank you for writing this. Story needs glue, like sticky, stringy glue between two hands, where there are many crisscross threads connecting between them.
I watch a lot of UA-cam videos about writing, editing, and publishing and you are by far my favorite. This video is gold and I am saving it for future reference. Thank you for making such incredible and practical content!
Honestly love how this video itself already follows the start late and end early! Great and insanely useful video, straight to the point and wastes no time!
I'm mostly blind, and have two kids. I used to have readers in college and audiobooks, but I haven't done a lot of reading lately. My first impression of this video is, If ever seen has to be action-oriented, it seems very exhausting to read the book. As a writer I love to write introspectively, but I appreciate what you're saying about moving a scene forward. This video makes me want to pick up more books, or audiobooks and find a time to read more so that I can analyze the scenes like you said! Thank you for making this video
I just did a lot of writing and this video came at the perfect time. I can say that overall my scenes have fulfilled a fair portion of the checkboxes that you stated! Especially point 9, all three. Now, I'm excited to go back and check every single one of my scenes and make them even better. Thank you so much! :D
I already start my stories as late as I can, usually starting at the initial incident, but I hadn't considered trying to start each individual scene as late as possible. This is good advice.
I know, right!!!! It's because I showed a bullfight. But it's historical video, from seventy years ago, and you can't teach about Hemingway without showing a bullfight! I appealed it and they denied it. So now I'm re-editing the video. SIGH.
@@Bookfoxthe new one just appeared on my newsfeed. Definitely one of the most researched videos on writing I’ve ever seen. All highly-actionable tips. I’m sure it will blow up
I found this really helpful! I am writing my first novel and ran into this weird halt to my writing. Writing compelling scenes is more than composition; it links it like a train, moving and pushing the development of my plot and concept forward rather than info dumping. Love it! Thanks for your help
Does anyone else think he did a great job starting and ending the video using his scene techniques? John: "Then you have written a scene that has earned a right to stay in your book." End scene!
I really dig how you present information with one caveat: I would appreciate more concrete examples. at 4:29 you talk about breaking down a scene to see what it's doing. That would be a great video in itself if you ever have the time. Thanks for the resources you're creating
Each one of these steps is gold. And their usefulness is not limited to scenes. In my opinion, *everything* in a novel should multitask. Keep that bit of advice in mind and HEAPS of lackluster dialogue will be eliminated, for instance. But why ah why did you call it the "secret formula"? This is such a red flag, usually, that I almost ignored the video because of it...
Agreed on the multi-tasking point! And sorry for the title. The algorithm rewards catchy titles. But my goal is that no matter how click-baity the title, I make sure to back it up with excellent content.
@@Bookfox oh no, don't apologize. This is the exact reason i sub to your channel. :) I'm writing a trilogy from the last book to the first, and you just saved me a ton of rewrites.
While these are nice, don’t follow all these tips to a T. “Nice characters”/“nice moments” are refreshing every now and then. You don’t always have to have that conflict, while he’s right that you have to find it, just don’t FOCUS on pushing that conflict or making it obvious. Amazing video just think that section was worded a bit funky.
Starting late and ending early is brilliant advice but what if this is the first scene of the book and I have a LOT of worldbuilding to set up just so that the conflict and the character's actions make sense? I had to extend my scene opening three times because readers kept asking for more context. How do you tell when you're starting just right vs too late?
My story would have had even less dialogue and more thoughts if I had written it from the perspective of Vaslav Nijinsky instead of Felix Yusupov. He spent several years without speaking at all, but he was always thinking and feeling deeply. I cheated a bit and used Nijinsky's writing as dialogue like 3 times in my story, because it was easier, but mostly the other characters understand him without words.
The ratio of thoughts and backstory to dialogue and action varies a lot between different books though. In Search of Lost Time? Lots of thoughts and backstory. Colleen Hoover? Mostly dialogue and action. And books are the best medium to delve into a character's thoughts! It's decent advice if you want to be a commercially successful and popular author currently though. With TikTok full of people who only read the dialogue, works like In Search of Lost Time are much less likely to get published, much less become bestsellers. I would rather just write very psychological, philosophical and literary fanfics that are read by like 30 nerds. Besides it's a Secret History and Like Minds fanfic where they are Classics students in 1920s Oxford, of course the characters live in their heads too much.
hey i really like your channel and your work, please can you make a video on how to progress the plot the problem with me is that im more of an idealist(idk if thats a real word) i get wonderful and intersting ideas about writing something but *i just dont how how to progress that plot* , for ex: one time i had a plot about a species that has evolved when humans did, but have hidden themselves for millions of years as they deemed humans dangerous, evolving perfectly against us from the shadows and now they are out to get us i decided the story will go over both species POV, ours and thiers, and to show the readers that we are not the good guys and neither are they, we are just as cruel as them and they are just as cruel as us, even if they look like monsters they are no much of a monster than a bear or a lion, scary but still just an animal but i just dont have any idea on how to progress this, like how do i start or how do i make it well...a story, stupid question to ask ik but im just a newbie in this and i have no idea how to start writting these mini stories that will progress the plot and stuff so please if you can PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO ON THIS
This is definitely great advice, but a part of me feels that following this relentlessly can be bad as well. Aren’t you underestimating the reader, thinking they can’t handle slower paced scenes at all?
What about the scene that characters try to emotionally support or comfort each other in a calm situation for example after the conflict or before one? They are nice to each other and there may not be a great conflict, so how can they still remain in the story?
Ask yourself what the scene is for. If it's to cement their friendship so that later it's dramatic when they are separated, do that. If it's to underline a lesson they have learned that will come up again when defeating the big bad, do that. If you can't answer what the screen is for in the story, maybe scrap it.
I don't use scenes at all... I just don't get it. I probably should. I know I'm technically using scenes, but it's not on purpose. I just spam out chapters...
The first works I wrote were like that too. But it makes it uneditable. I'd reread the last day's work and scrap all but a few lines. Instead of pouring out all the toys in the box, you just pick out the four or five you really wanted and go back to the rest later.
@@emaanshahid2105 I've definitely had days where I can't press on, and the only way I can move forward is to delete like, 2k words and move in a different direction.
But without coin, connections, crews, clout, computer code, control, corporate communities, and opulent opportunities... not even *exemplary* work will matter. That's just how it is. No money nor manpower for marketing equals no recognition; no exceptions.
I have a feeling the whole "start late, end early" is why the Game of Thrones scene where they cut away from moments the fans have been waiting for years to see and call it good writing. F that. The problem is when you piss off your viewers by taking away the moments they want to see. That's a guaranteed way to end up ruining a tv series.
"be late with your scene" jokes on you, im late on writing in general
Lol Don't worry; you're not alone.
Oh, yes. I'm about a decade (or two?) late, myself. ;)
i'm stuck on outlining, it's so annoying...
Same here, over a decade, and the best I have done is writing two scenes @@Starolfr
0:16 Start late, end early (dive straight into action, end after the climax)
1:37 Use the plot engine (how will you make readers keep reading)
1. Hidden Identity
2. Threat of violence
3. Character's lie
3:22 Make scenes multitask (merge scenes)
4:34 Play with time (speed up and slow down the action, skip boring stuff)
5:28 Supercharge your conflict (giving information is boring, add tension, disagreement etc)
7:06 Make your characters change (learning, changing or growth)
8:00 Make sure the scene is essential to plot progression
8:56 Prioritize actions and dialogue over thoughts and backstory
9:44 Three essential questions for every scene
What would happen if I cut a scene?
What has changed by the end of a scene?
How does the scene move the plot forward?
Not all heroes wear capes.
Bookfox is cooked.
@@CalvinNoirewell you still want to watch his video for explanation 😅
@@CalvinNoire Not necessarily. I like coming back to really informative videos like this one to munch over some points with newly gained knowledge and experience to check how it affects my understanding of the topic. Time marks like these make it super easy to come back to exactly the part I wanted to listen to again, so it increases the likelihood of me coming back to watch the video, not just putting it in the 745th place on my maybe-to-do list. Quick, convenient and efficient. Love them time stamps ❤❤
I recently reread SHOGUN. Every scene is driven by conflict! Some conflicts are subtle, but every scene has some. The effect propels the reader through the book! It is hard to put down.
It's a classic!
I’m always worried that I have too much dialogue and action and I need to be more introspective… so this was very reassuring! 😊
Glad it was helpful!
Allowing some introspection early on can allow your protagonist to feel three dimensional to the reader and free you from having to say everything they are thinking as a result of events in the action as your story naturally gathers pace towards its gripping climax/resolution. You don't want to bog everything down with everyone's thoughts all the way through.
Frank Herbert only got away with doing that in his doorstep of a science fiction novel _DUNE_ because his visualisation of a galaxy more than 10,000 years in the future where humanity had become alienated from itself (so there were no need for any aliens) is what made that novel such a success despite all the internal musings all the way throughout.
My favorite writer / coach, because you give actionable tips. Other youtubers are so vague it doesnt help me. Thank you for making these
You're so welcome!
This was really helpful. Please include more videos on scene structure. These are pretty uncommon online. Most people focus on the overall story rather than this important unit of story. Thanks!
"If you can write a great scene, you can write a great book."
Or at least an anthology of great scenes
@@stevecarter8810Thank you. Thank you for writing this. Story needs glue, like sticky, stringy glue between two hands, where there are many crisscross threads connecting between them.
@@5Gburnthough, this is a good starting point.
@@5Gburn So, not a fan of Cloud Atlas I take it??
I watch a lot of UA-cam videos about writing, editing, and publishing and you are by far my favorite. This video is gold and I am saving it for future reference. Thank you for making such incredible and practical content!
Wow, thank you!
This is a wonderful guide. I don’t see enough people talking about scenes and how they build upon one another to make a story cohesive.
Appreciate the kind words. Glad it could help.
Honestly love how this video itself already follows the start late and end early! Great and insanely useful video, straight to the point and wastes no time!
I'm mostly blind, and have two kids. I used to have readers in college and audiobooks, but I haven't done a lot of reading lately. My first impression of this video is, If ever seen has to be action-oriented, it seems very exhausting to read the book. As a writer I love to write introspectively, but I appreciate what you're saying about moving a scene forward. This video makes me want to pick up more books, or audiobooks and find a time to read more so that I can analyze the scenes like you said! Thank you for making this video
Great timing. I was rewatching all videos waiting for more. I'm gonna enjoy this.
This was extremely helpful. Thanks very much, John!
I just did a lot of writing and this video came at the perfect time. I can say that overall my scenes have fulfilled a fair portion of the checkboxes that you stated! Especially point 9, all three. Now, I'm excited to go back and check every single one of my scenes and make them even better. Thank you so much! :D
Glad it was helpful!
I already start my stories as late as I can, usually starting at the initial incident, but I hadn't considered trying to start each individual scene as late as possible. This is good advice.
I love your videos and get so excited to see there is a new one! They are so helpful
Why’d UA-cam just take down your Hemingway video? You didn’t violate any policy and you put SO much work into it
I know, right!!!! It's because I showed a bullfight. But it's historical video, from seventy years ago, and you can't teach about Hemingway without showing a bullfight! I appealed it and they denied it. So now I'm re-editing the video. SIGH.
@@Bookfoxthe new one just appeared on my newsfeed. Definitely one of the most researched videos on writing I’ve ever seen. All highly-actionable tips. I’m sure it will blow up
@@Bookfox Why can't you show a bullfight?
I found this really helpful! I am writing my first novel and ran into this weird halt to my writing. Writing compelling scenes is more than composition; it links it like a train, moving and pushing the development of my plot and concept forward rather than info dumping. Love it! Thanks for your help
Wow, what a gold!! I immediately subscribed😊 Thank you so much 🙏💖
Excellent tips, going to use all of them in my WIP.
Yay, have fun!
I’m glad this exists because I was struggling with what to write next for a scene in my rough draft.
I’m going through your book and these videos are great supplements to the physical copy I’m notating and marking for reference as I sit to write.
Thanks for getting a copy! Yes, wonderful that you're using the book and videos side by side.
Does anyone else think he did a great job starting and ending the video using his scene techniques?
John: "Then you have written a scene that has earned a right to stay in your book." End scene!
Ha ha! I try! I hate it when UA-cam videos dribble on at the end.
This is really useful with some very enlightening tips 🙂
Glad you think so!
Absolute gold.
Thank you!
Brilliant insight, man. This was most useful. Good job.
Enjoyed this. Useful stuff. Thanks.
That is super helpful, thanks!
Thank you.
I really dig how you present information with one caveat: I would appreciate more concrete examples. at 4:29 you talk about breaking down a scene to see what it's doing. That would be a great video in itself if you ever have the time. Thanks for the resources you're creating
Each one of these steps is gold. And their usefulness is not limited to scenes. In my opinion, *everything* in a novel should multitask. Keep that bit of advice in mind and HEAPS of lackluster dialogue will be eliminated, for instance. But why ah why did you call it the "secret formula"? This is such a red flag, usually, that I almost ignored the video because of it...
Agreed on the multi-tasking point!
And sorry for the title. The algorithm rewards catchy titles. But my goal is that no matter how click-baity the title, I make sure to back it up with excellent content.
This one title-writing trick that audiences LOVE TO HATE ! @@Bookfox
Awesome timing, but now I have to scrap like a third of my first act LOL
Sorry? Ha ha. But hopefully the story ends up better in the end.
@@Bookfox oh no, don't apologize. This is the exact reason i sub to your channel. :) I'm writing a trilogy from the last book to the first, and you just saved me a ton of rewrites.
Really great 👍
Tarantino chops the last line of action/dialogue from the end of scenes in the final draft
I believe it. :)
thank you! best wishes:)
GOOD STUFF
While these are nice, don’t follow all these tips to a T. “Nice characters”/“nice moments” are refreshing every now and then. You don’t always have to have that conflict, while he’s right that you have to find it, just don’t FOCUS on pushing that conflict or making it obvious. Amazing video just think that section was worded a bit funky.
So how does ALL this advice apply to the cozy reads genre? I'm not sure it's applicable but then I'm not an editor...
Which one doesn't seem to apply?
Never stop making videos
Thanks! Not planning on it!
Starting late and ending early is brilliant advice but what if this is the first scene of the book and I have a LOT of worldbuilding to set up just so that the conflict and the character's actions make sense? I had to extend my scene opening three times because readers kept asking for more context. How do you tell when you're starting just right vs too late?
Start with a scene that shows the world, and then do explicit worldbuilding once you've hooked your reader.
7:09 doggie or kitty spotted in doorframe
Doggie!
My story would have had even less dialogue and more thoughts if I had written it from the perspective of Vaslav Nijinsky instead of Felix Yusupov. He spent several years without speaking at all, but he was always thinking and feeling deeply. I cheated a bit and used Nijinsky's writing as dialogue like 3 times in my story, because it was easier, but mostly the other characters understand him without words.
The ratio of thoughts and backstory to dialogue and action varies a lot between different books though. In Search of Lost Time? Lots of thoughts and backstory. Colleen Hoover? Mostly dialogue and action. And books are the best medium to delve into a character's thoughts!
It's decent advice if you want to be a commercially successful and popular author currently though. With TikTok full of people who only read the dialogue, works like In Search of Lost Time are much less likely to get published, much less become bestsellers.
I would rather just write very psychological, philosophical and literary fanfics that are read by like 30 nerds. Besides it's a Secret History and Like Minds fanfic where they are Classics students in 1920s Oxford, of course the characters live in their heads too much.
hey i really like your channel and your work, please can you make a video on how to progress the plot
the problem with me is that im more of an idealist(idk if thats a real word) i get wonderful and intersting ideas about writing something but *i just dont how how to progress that plot* ,
for ex:
one time i had a plot about a species that has evolved when humans did, but have hidden themselves for millions of years as they deemed humans dangerous, evolving perfectly against us from the shadows and now they are out to get us
i decided the story will go over both species POV, ours and thiers, and to show the readers that we are not the good guys and neither are they, we are just as cruel as them and they are just as cruel as us, even if they look like monsters they are no much of a monster than a bear or a lion, scary but still just an animal
but i just dont have any idea on how to progress this, like how do i start or how do i make it well...a story, stupid question to ask ik but im just a newbie in this and i have no idea how to start writting these mini stories that will progress the plot and stuff
so please if you can PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO ON THIS
This is definitely great advice, but a part of me feels that following this relentlessly can be bad as well. Aren’t you underestimating the reader, thinking they can’t handle slower paced scenes at all?
What about the scene that characters try to emotionally support or comfort each other in a calm situation for example after the conflict or before one?
They are nice to each other and there may not be a great conflict, so how can they still remain in the story?
Ask yourself what the scene is for.
If it's to cement their friendship so that later it's dramatic when they are separated, do that. If it's to underline a lesson they have learned that will come up again when defeating the big bad, do that. If you can't answer what the screen is for in the story, maybe scrap it.
@@stevecarter8810
Thanks
Rings of power writers really outgh to watch this...
I have a question but it isnt related to scenes: Is it okay if my novel is written in Spectral font, and if not what fonts can I use?
I'd use something standard like Times New Roman.
I don't use scenes at all... I just don't get it. I probably should. I know I'm technically using scenes, but it's not on purpose. I just spam out chapters...
The first works I wrote were like that too. But it makes it uneditable. I'd reread the last day's work and scrap all but a few lines. Instead of pouring out all the toys in the box, you just pick out the four or five you really wanted and go back to the rest later.
@@emaanshahid2105 I've definitely had days where I can't press on, and the only way I can move forward is to delete like, 2k words and move in a different direction.
Biggest Question: How to MANAGE all of these moving pieces! 😮
Writing is tough. I know.
But without coin, connections, crews, clout, computer code, control, corporate communities, and opulent opportunities... not even *exemplary* work will matter. That's just how it is. No money nor manpower for marketing equals no recognition; no exceptions.
Stop thinking in either/or. Yes, you don't have all those C words, but you can still do the best you can, and get SOME readers.
I have a feeling the whole "start late, end early" is why the Game of Thrones scene where they cut away from moments the fans have been waiting for years to see and call it good writing. F that. The problem is when you piss off your viewers by taking away the moments they want to see. That's a guaranteed way to end up ruining a tv series.
First
When we can see the draw and the winners of this challenge: ua-cam.com/video/hMifPtrIBp8/v-deo.htmlsi=WVsubw58SF2Lu33E. ?!?!?!?!?!